56 ■ October 4, 2010 • GRAPH EXPO
Official Show Daily • Cygnus Graphics Media
Versatility is Key for Duplo’s Finishing Systems
In the spotlight is the digital color finisher, DC-745 slitter/cutter/creaser
D
uplo USA Corporation (Booth 2617) is demonstrat- ing equipment that brings high-quality finishing to off- set printers, digital and hybrid print environments,
the print-on-demand
sector, high volume in-plant facilities, government agencies, and specialty fin- ishing houses.
In the spotlight is its newest and
fastest all-in-one digital color finisher yet, the DC-745 slitter/cutter/creaser. Performing up to 10 slits, 20 cuts, and 15 creases in a single pass, the high production DC-745 eliminates white borders and toner cracking on digital color documents at incredible speeds of up to 50 sheets per minute. It provides users with an enhanced user-friendly PC Controller for quick job change- overs, new cross and micro perforation options for added versatility, and an increased feeding capacity and elevator
stacking function. The DC-745 is the perfect solution for finishing full-bleed, digital color applications ranging from business cards, brochures, greeting cards, catalogs, and photos. Also on display is the new DKT-200
two-knife trimmer configured with a System 5000 collating and bookletmak- ing system. The fully automatic DKT- 200 allows for in-line production of high-quality, full-bleed booklets. Other product highlights include the DFS-3500
full-bleed
The DC-745 slitter/cutter/creaser is Duplo’s newest and fastest all-in-one digital color finisher.
bookletmaking
system incorporating a DBM-350/T mid-range bookletmaker and trimmer in-line with a DC-445 Creaser and the DC-645 integrated folding system, which configures an in-line folder to the already versatile DC-645 slitter/cutter/ creaser, allowing printers to fully finish applications such as greeting cards, CD covers, business cards, brochures and leaflets without additional operators. The
The Challenge: 63,000
Signs for 147 Stores HP SmartStream Designer answers the call, delivering variable-data printing solution
ing hardware. As complex- ity rises, so too does the importance of advanced software. Richard Gardner, chairman of Gard- ners, one of the world’s largest digital printing companies located in Cardiff, England, knows this better than most. He has spent years working with lead- ing technology companies to build the best hardware and software platform for his growing business. Founded in 1976 as a screen printer, Gardners is now a totally digital opera- tion serving many industries and appli- cations. A significant part of Gardners’ work is printed on HP large-format digital printers—an lineup that now numbers 24 HP printers, including 2 Scitex FB7500 printers, a Scitex LX800 printer, and a Designjet L25500 printer. Gardners recognized that variable data printing (VDP), which has been widely used in small-format printing for some years, could also bring value to wide-format printing. The company ini- tially developed its own VDP software.
P
roducing highly complex sig- nage jobs depends on more than
just advanced print-
Then, Gardners adopted the HP Smart- Stream Designer solution for VDP, enabling it to expand its capabilities. “The proposition is to use VDP not just on jobs that have changing images, but also on other things that might be only internal,” says Gardner. “We use it to print files in collated order for easy packing for different branches, which is essentially ‘print to pack’.” Recently, Gardners was asked by
De Wild, a Dutch printing partner, to produce a full set of store signage for Gamma, a major do-it-yourself fran- chise chain in the Netherlands. Given the requirement to produce 750 differ- ent versions for 147 store locations—a huge job totaling approximately 63,000 different signs—Richard Gardner knew that the logistical challenges would have to be solved by software. The obvious solution: HP SmartStream Designer. Gardners set up the job as 63,000
individual panels so that each panel was printed with a tiny code indicating exactly to which region, which store and which aisle each sign would go. Going beyond “print to pack,” it was a perfect example of “print to pack to place.”
knife folder incorporates two knife folds making it ideal for parallel fold applica- tions such as letter and gate folds. With a speed of up to 50 sheets per minute, the new folder matches the capabilities of Duplo’s creasers and can also be by- passed for no-fold applications. Duplo is also demonstrating the DPB-500 PUR Perfect Binder for bind- ing books printed on digital and coated stocks, and featuring a fully automatic and single clamp design for output of up to 525 cycles per hour. Advanced automation reduces set-up time and cost and requires minimal operator
“It was complicated because we had to prepare an enormous amount of infor- mation to go into huge spreadsheets,” says Gardner. “Once it got to HP Smart- Stream Designer,
it became relatively
straightforward.” De Wild sales accountant Marianne Harmsem says: “It sure made our life easier. At first we were a bit concerned about getting every sign in the right order in the right boxes. Then Gardners told us about the HP system and it became clear that they could put it in the right order, so there was no worry for us anymore. In the end, it was all printed in a few weeks, and there were no issues. It went very well.” Virtually every department of Gard- ners benefitted from using HP’s VDP solution for this job—as did the end cus- tomer. Studio time was reduced by an estimated 70%; the finishing department gained by having all pieces automati- cally produced in the right order; and the packing department saved time and complication because all pieces were numbered in sequence, eliminating the need to search for panels or boxes. Ultimately, the end customer gained by reducing the time needed to outfit an entire store with the new signage by an estimated 75% compared with previous store refits. The Gamma signage project has brought benefits to Gardners far beyond the single order, as Gardners will
skills, making the DPB-500 ideal for short run and variable data productions. Show visitors can also see the Ultra 200 UV Coater, which adds a high gloss or satin finish to offset and digi- tally printed documents. The process is made possible by the increased gap between the coating roller and the cur- ing UV lamp. User friendly and with a small footprint, it also features an automatic cleaning function and fast setup and shutdown. The unit applies ultraviolet coating to documents up to 20x20" in size. There is also an optional high-capacity sheet feeder.
be able to apply the same business and production model to other customers. For the production, Gardners depend- ed on its two HP Scitex FB7500 printers. The printers ran around the clock for approximately a month producing the approximately 4.32x1.8' panels on 0.08" Foamex. “I believe that without these machines,
we would not have been able to do the job,” says Gardner. “We pro- vided samples and our print quality was accepted above everybody else’s.” Gardner is certain that the combi-
nation of VDP with high-productivity digital printing is only going to become more important. “We are competing with screen, offset, and other analog process- es. So if we can say to a customer: ‘You can personalize every banner or every outdoor graphic or every point of sale.’ That’s a huge sell against analog. We’ve found that whenever a customer has come from analog to digital, they never go back. It’s a one-time sell; they get used to the production and to the variable data possibilities, and they enjoy it.”
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